IISER professor booked after PhD student’s attempted suicide gets pre-arrest bail

Bombay HC grants transit anticipatory bail to Dr Mainak Manmath Nath Poddar, professor at IISER Pune, booked in connection with a PhD student's suicide attempt.

MUMBAI: The Bombay high court on Monday granted transit anticipatory bail to Dr Mainak Manmath Nath Poddar, professor and chair, Mathematics at Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER), Pune, booked in connection with suicide attempt by a PhD student at the institute.

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The GTB Enclave Police in New Delhi had on December 19, 2022, registered an FIR under Sections 406 (criminal breach of trust), 354D (stalking), 509 (word gesture or act intended to insult), 506 (criminal intimidation), 306 read with Section 511 (attempted the abetment to commit suicide) of the Indian Penal Code, 1860.

The FIR also included Section 67 (publishing or transmitting obscene material in electronic form) of the Information Technology Act, 2000 and Section 63 (infringement of copyright) of the Copyright Act, 1957, based on a complaint lodged by the student who was pursuing PhD at IISER.

The complainant stated that Dr Anindya Goswami, who was appointed as her supervisor, had added the name of another student Shristi Gupta as an author in respect of the work done by the first informant.

She further alleged that upon being confronted, Dr Goswami had threatened to finish the complainant’s career and Dr Poddar being the chair, Mathematics at the institute also threatened the complainant not to pursue her complaint against Dr Goswami, lest her career would be finished, and she won’t be able to complete her PhD. Frustrated, the complainant had allegedly tried to die by suicide.

Dr Goswami had moved the Delhi High Court for quashing of the FIR, claiming that the allegations levelled by the complainant were false and the Ethics Committee of the institute had not found any substance in the complaint. On February 10 this year, the Delhi high court granted her interim protection.

However, in May the Delhi police have recorded the complainant’s statement before a metropolitan magistrate court in which the PhD student has levelled some additional accusations, including that of sexual harassment against the professors.

In this backdrop, Dr Poddar had moved high court after he received on August 9 a notice from the Delhi police, asking him to join their investigation, and urged the high court to grant him transit anticipatory bail to enable him to approach appropriate forum in New Delhi.

A single judge bench of justice NJ Jamadar accepted Dr Poddar’s plea, observing that the allegations are primarily against Dr. Anindya Goswami, who has been protected by an order passed by the Delhi High Court.

“The applicant (Dr Poddar) appears to have firm roots in society. The apprehension of arrest in the context of the situation and the nature of the allegations, cannot be said to be wholly unfounded,” justice Jamadar said.